State Rep. Jim Struzzi is in his third term of service to residents of the 62nd Legislative District, which consists of the following Indiana County municipalities: the townships of Armstrong, Blacklick, Brush Valley, Buffington, Burrell, Center, Cherryhill, Conemaugh, East Wheatfield, Pine, Washington, West Wheatfield, White and Young; and the boroughs of Armagh, Blairsville, Clymer, Creekside, Homer City, Indiana, Saltsburg and Shelocta.
For the 2023-24 legislative session, Jim has been assigned to serve as a member of the following three committees: Appropriations, Human Services, Policy and Transportation.
He has also been asked to again serve on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST), which funds sewer, storm water and drinking water projects throughout the Commonwealth; and the board for the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation.
Like many citizens raised in western Pennsylvania, Jim was instilled with the traditional values of hard work, personal integrity and community service. He is committed to protecting those values in the state Capitol, while fighting to reduce government spending, eliminate burdensome taxes, create more family-sustaining jobs, improve the climate for businesses and work to ensure the agriculture industry has the proper tools and support it needs to be successful.
Jim’s many years of experience as a journalist, press secretary with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) for District 11 and president of the Indiana County Chamber of Commerce shows that he understands the importance of maintaining of good infrastructure.
Jim’s strong faith has helped him to cope with the loss of his brother, Michael, who died from an overdose at the age of 31. Addiction touches all ages, genders and socioeconomic statuses, and Jim vows to try to solve this crisis by working together with community, state and federal leaders.
Jim is committed to improve the quality of life for all residents and make sure our children have the best education available. As part of his legislative priorities, he will protect our state and national constitutions and will advocate for state’s rights, Second Amendment rights and school choice.
A very creative individual, Jim fulfilled a dream to write several well-loved children’s books, The Christmas Secret and Jacob’s Haunting. The young adult novels set in Indiana County teach children the importance of family, morality and courage.
He graduated from Penn Trafford High school in Westmoreland County; earned a degree in electrical wiring from a technical school in McKees Rocks near Pittsburgh; and acquired his bachelor’s degree in English writing with a focus on communications from the University of Pittsburgh in Greensburg.
Jim tends to focus on big-picture, incremental solutions and is a big believer that success is derived through hard work and personal sacrifice rather than government intervention.
He, his wife, Christina, and their children, Aviana, Talan, Zarek and Vaughn, reside in White Township, Indiana County.